Duvall: Showing off my sporting Add A. Tude

I experienced being the Illinois High School Association’s mascot on Saturday afternoon during the Class 3A third-place boys basketball game. Once inside the suit, Add. A. Tude transfers you into a positive and fun dude, who is a great dancer. (Or at least I thought I was a pretty great dancer.)

But boy, it sure is hot.

At the Thursday shootarounds, I mentioned off-hand to IHSA assistant executive director Matt Troha that I was interested in being Add A. Tude for this weekend’s state finals. We joked if the costume would fit my 6-foot-4 frame.

When recalling the conception of the idea Saturday night, Lonnie Schwindenhammer, who also attended the shootaround, noted that I may have “begged” Matt to be the mascot. But that isn’t true.

Well, sort of.

When I asked him about it again Friday, Matt told me he’d let me know if I had the OK to don the costume. Sure enough, at the end of the day he gave me the thumbs-up.

Add A. Tude was created in the summer of 1997 and “represents the vigor and friendliness of proper behavior that is the backbone of good sportsmanship,” according to the IHSA website. The website goes on to say, Add A. Tude “stands for self-control, positive support and respect for authority and peers.”

Saturday morning, I arrived at Carver Arena looking forward to my first time as a mascot. I found Matt, and at 12:30 p.m., shortly after the third-place game tipped off, he took me down to the Add A. Tude dressing room. There, I changed into shorts and began to put on the suit. The orange pants are made of a satin-like material and were probably two sizes too big for me.

The ‘A’ torso and sunglasses-adorned face of the suit come attached with sleeves. It feels heavier than wearing a winter coat. Add A. Tude’s big blue hat covered my head. A see-through mesh part is located in the middle of the hat.

Poor placement of the head resulted in me not being able to see very well. So poorly, in fact, I nearly ran into the wall as I headed to the elevator. I quickly adjusted and was able to see — not well — but better than before.

One little girl, however, wasn’t a fan of me. She stopped dead in her tracks, took one look and started crying. Hard. So hard, in fact, that Kirk led me away almost immediately.

I even took to the court to try and make a basket. After a half-dozen attempts — and moving into the paint — I made a bucket. I celebrated with an array of well-executed dance moves (maybe not) and moved on to try and further entertain the crowd.

My favorite part of being in the costume was the dancing. I was able to get down — usually reserved for wedding receptions and in my car — to the music playing throughout the Experience without anyone recognizing me.

Mostly, though, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing people’s genuine reactions, especially the kids. The smiles, giggles and shyness wore off when I stuck out my hand to wave or slap a high-five.

The heat of being inside, not to mention the pants being too big — I had to make a pit stop in the bathroom to pull them up — made the 20 minutes as Add A. Tude seem like a steamy day in summer. I was ready for a cold glass of water and some AC.

I have many, many memories from the state finals, but this is one of the more unique. And definitely the hottest.

ADAM DUVALL is a Journal Star sports reporter. He can be reached at 686-3207 or aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.